Friday, April 29, 2016

What a mixed bag of results. If anyone could have predicted
the winners of all 3 categories at the start of the event, they either would
have had 1. Bribed the players; 2. Literally pulled the names out of a hat; or
3. A time machine. Since we haven’t seen any flying DeLoreans around or a kooky
long haired scientist, I assume we can eliminate number 3 at least…

A total of 64 players were wrangling for the titles, which
also surprised me since it fell 2 players short of last year’s record entries.
The doubles contingent is growing - based on the fact that the ranking has 100
players listed - and looking at the results this year, so is the parity.

Doubles C:

I find this category the most unpredictable because the draw
is always a hodgepodge of veteran teams that understand the angles and read the
game fluently, and young fledglings that indiscriminately chase the ball and
swing for the fences hoping for the best. Generally speaking, experience I find
is rather valuable on the doubles court (more so than on a singles) as I think
we have all suffered at some time in our careers a humiliating beat down from
an elder opponent who, if judging a book by its cover, looked like they
couldn’t manage tying their own shoelaces let alone navigate a 40 x 25 foot
arena. Although some rookies have won this category before, history is on the
side of the well-versed, and 2016 kept to that script.

Now, I am certainly not suggesting that Ken Katz and Joe Moran
cannot tie up their shoelaces – I am sure they can – but these two are not
strangers to competing for the club championships. In fact, they won it in
2012, were runner-up in 2011 and 2010, and Ken can also claim the title in 2006
(with then partner Peter Fortune)
and was a finalist in 2005 with Sandy
Hudson. In other words, they have been around for a while! Of course, even
with the proven success, Ken is one of the biggest worry warts of them all,
fearful of all upcoming opponents, fretting he won’t be up to scratch. He does,
indubitably, underestimate himself. Ken and Joe churned themselves to the final
dropping only 1 game along the way, which was against Justin Winkelman and Andrew
Spohn, results that should have given the pair confidence.

Meeting them for the final showdown was another pair that
also shared quite a bit of experience between them. Dave Devine and Tom McCarthy
had a slightly more difficult task reaching this far, their campaign almost
didn’t get them past their first match. Curt
Pedersen and Chuck Doyle pushed
them all the way to the edge, but they survived the scare to take the 3-2 win,
regrouped for the next encounter, performing well for the solid 3-0 victory.
Neither Dave or Tom had reached the Doubles C final before, it was their first
chance to play for the title.

The difference one
rally can make. And of course timing is everything. When you win that rally can (and did) change everything. The teams
took turns. Dave and Tom claimed the first, Ken and Joe the second, and back to
Dave and Tom for the third. Close scores, neither team was dominating, it could
easily have been different to the 2-1 game total. Fast forward to the end of
the 4th game… 14-all. Game-ball for Katz / Moran; match-ball
for Devine / McCarthy. Tensions were
no doubt high, and really when it comes to this point of a match, it’s a matter
of luck above anything else. Ken and Joe won that coin-toss, and from that
point onwards the momentum was in their favor. It’s an absolute let-down when
you have the title on the tips of your fingers and it slips away, for Dave and
Tom it would be a difficult task to pick themselves up for the 5th. It
was not to be for them and Ken and Joe ran away with it and claimed another
club championship title! Final score: 12-15; 15-11; 13-15; 15-14; 15-10.

Doubles B:

Going in as favorites for this category, I had Sante Fratarcangeli and Manny Tancer at the top of the draw.
Last year for this pair they experienced a heartbreaking loss in the final
where they went down 15-14 in the 5th to Bret Williams and Paul Ward.
They needed to redeem themselves.

Going in as second favorite, I had Jason Curry and Dave Walker.
Jason and Dave also suffered through an unpalatable loss last year in the
semifinal 15-13 in the 5th – which was to Sante and Manny. I was
looking forward to another blockbuster showdown between these 2 teams for the
final… however we had a spoiler alert!

Not for Manny and Sante – they got through to the final
almost unscathed. The 2 matches they needed, they won both of them 3-1. I think
those results were closer than the pair would have predicted or liked, but
again it does show that you cannot take any team lightly, it is pretty
straightforward to find yourself on the wrong end of a winning streak.

Going in as no favorite at all, was Chris Van Tol and Matt DiDio.
Last year this team lost first round 3-2 to Paul Flanagan and Andrew
Spohn, and as far as I could tell were so dejected about the loss hadn’t
stepped on the doubles court since. So how this pair defied the odds is a
mystery, maybe they had been secretly training in the middle of the night…?
Chris and Matt were veritably thrown randomly into the draw and quietly went
about their business. They won their first two matches 3-1, which although I
didn’t really expect them to do so, I wasn’t inordinately astonished about it
either. I didn’t give them much hope against Jason and Dave in the semifinal
though, I was sure their run would end rather abruptly. But no, once again
whatever I predict would happen just comes back to haunt the innocent. The Currie / Walker team must have been as
befuddled as I, as Van Tol / DiDio sent
the second seeds packing with another 3-1 victory.

Manny Tancer, Sante F, Matt DiDio, Chris Van Tol

Setting up an interesting final, I was no longer going to prophesize
anything. Chris and Matt were on their own, I wasn’t about to ruin it with some
idiotic jinx. Would they be able to continue on their Cinderella run? Even at
their best, combatting the Sante – Manny duo that felt robbed just 12 months
ago would be a huge assignment, their determination not to let another get away
would be at an all-time high. Keen to dominate from the start, Sante and Manny
set the tone early and kept the pressure on. ‘Pedal to the metal’ for three straight
games was the theme and Chris and Matt were constantly forced to play from
behind, their magical streak coming quickly to an end. The 3-0 score was
clinical and convincing: 15-11; 15-9; 15-8. It’s Manny’s and Sante’s first
doubles club championship title and they have just earned their way up to the
big boys next year!

Doubles A:

And the most predictable of all, the Doubles A. Stand up and
applaud, once again, for the 142nd time, the 2016 Doubles Champions,
Kirk Haggar… Hang on! Hold the phone! Back the truck up! The streak has finally
been snapped! For the first time since at least 2005, the Doubles A final did
not feature a Haggarty, a Eugenio, or a Logan!

Kirk Haggarty and
Mike Eugenio have been reigning
champions since 2012, with no reason to think they wouldn’t win it again this
year. But from the outset, it looked shaky. They almost didn’t make it out of
the gates as they were taken by surprise by John Dunwoody and Eric Green.
John and Eric pestered themselves to a do-or-die 5th game, but
failed to complete the (unlikely) job. Kirk and Mike’s escape was only
temporary. Their semifinal was a repeat of 2015’s adventure against John Rakolta (JR) and George Kordas – a match Kirk and Mike
only won in 5. This year’s version would be very different. At 1 game apiece,
during the 3rd game, Kirk pulled up lame with an injury and
regrettably had to default the match. It’s a dissatisfying way to win, but JR
and George weren’t about to let the opportunity to compete for DAC glory slip.

On the opposite side of the draw, Peter Logan teamed up with Vikram
Chopra. Vikram is still relatively new to doubles and hasn’t quite reached
the level he needs to be in order to be a viable threat – yet. Don’t worry, though, it won’t be long. Peter and Vikram
reached the semifinal easily enough and came up against Jed Elley and Ryan Covell.
Jed and Ryan played together last year, so they are somewhat familiar with
themselves, and in 2015 they lost the semifinal 15-14 in the 5th to Peter Logan and his then partner Robin Basil. Going one better in 2016,
Jed and Ryan took down Logan / Chopra
3-1 to set up an unlikely final with 4 players that have never been in such a
position before.

The hype leading up to the match was nothing short of
outrageous. E-mail trails that took on a life on its own and grandiose ideas
only matched by the Superbowl by comparison. Fog machines, laser shows, disco
lights, choir, emcees, VIP lounge… A production that proved too much to put
together, but at least we got an e-mail or two out to announce the spectacle
and we did get a decent amount people coming out to witness history in the
making.

Ryan Covell, Jed Elley, John Rakolta, George Kordas

In matching outfits, the two teams were happy to pose for a
photo op before the ‘clash of the titans’ began. JR and George, who call
themselves the “Blue Chips” (?? – huh?) were in red… (ummm… huh?) and team
Jed-Co were in… in… is that teal? Let’s call it blue.

Doubles is typically a game of power and angles. Hit the
snot out of the ball and use the walls and corners. And, most importantly, get
out of the way. So, it’s really no surprise that JR’s tactic is virtually the
complete opposite: soft, high, float the ball, and put the body on the line. A
tactic that throws most people off. After losing the first game 15-10, the Blue
Chips nonchalantly continued their game plan and slowly team Jed-Co were
creeping into the realm of unreliability. Mistakes started to appear, “easy”
tins that may have been winners… and the harder they tried to avoid these
errors, the more that seemed to emerge. Evening it up, the third game was the
pivotal moment.

Not too far into the set, a power backhand stroke by Jed
collected JR flush in the face with the racquet. It did not look good. A deep
gash to the chin, JR needed medical attention and the first aid kit was
depleted of its supplies to stop the flow. The knock to the head did not seem to
faze JR however, and when play resumed, both teams were holding their ground
admirably going point for point. The sudden death point at 14-all fell JR and
George’s way, and it decided the outcome.

JR and George. Battle scarred.

Jed-Co were rattled. They were not expecting to be in this
position – nor were the enthralled audience. Was this an upset in the making?
Quite frankly – yes. The 4th game was a one-way mauling. All the
momentum was with the Blue Chips, Jed and Ryan looked despondent as if they
were waiting for the inevitable and they simply could not stop the rot. Final
score: 10-15; 15-11; 15-14; 15-6. Say “hello” to the new DAC Doubles Club
Champions: John Rakolta and George Kordas!

“JR and I (The Blue
Chips) had one strategy heading into our Championship match last Friday and
that was to hopefully serve up the freshest, most creative Squash that The DAC
has seen since Executive Chef Kevin Brennan’s award winning Casserole a few
years back”, said team captain George Kordas. Well put George, I’m
sure Chef Brennan would be proud to have his gourmet creations be compared to
your doubles squash game.